Hummingbird help - Main motor cutting out.
08-08-2003, 03:56 AM
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Hummingbird help - Main motor cutting out.
Need some help on my new hummingbird. I'm a decent flier, but a bit of a bone-head when it comes to the setup. I decided to go separates and am using two speed controls and a GY401 gyro I had from my Raptor. The motor is the Century 370. I'm also using a 1200ma 2-cell Lipo. I hooked everything up, turned on revo mixing on my 8U, and actually got it to hover, but I have full right trim in the tail and I have to hold right stick to keep it in place.
The other problem I am having is the Main motor is cutting out on me after a few minutes. Once it cuts out, I'll throttle down and it will come on for a few seconds and then cut-out again. Is this a speed control issue?
Thanks for the help.
The other problem I am having is the Main motor is cutting out on me after a few minutes. Once it cuts out, I'll throttle down and it will come on for a few seconds and then cut-out again. Is this a speed control issue?
Thanks for the help.
08-08-2003, 04:16 AM
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Hummingbird help - Main motor cutting out.
Hmmm...is the motor or battery warm when this happens ? How's the gear mesh ? You don't want any binding at all. I prefer just a touch of lash on the main pinion and spur. A good way to tell if it's right is to see how long it takes the main rotor to spool down after you land. It should take 3 or 4 seconds round abouts.... 
Also make sure you don't have any interference. This will cause a motor to cut out. It's tricky to route the antenna around all the carbon fiber.
Your 401 is a heading hold gyro correct ? I am fairly certain you need to disable your revolution mixing on your radio to run this gyro on the HB with separates.
You pour enough money into these little birds and they fly awesome.
I'm running an astro 010 in mine with Hornet CF blades. A few mods here and there and it's a very stable machine.
Also make sure you don't have any interference. This will cause a motor to cut out. It's tricky to route the antenna around all the carbon fiber.Your 401 is a heading hold gyro correct ? I am fairly certain you need to disable your revolution mixing on your radio to run this gyro on the HB with separates.
You pour enough money into these little birds and they fly awesome.
I'm running an astro 010 in mine with Hornet CF blades. A few mods here and there and it's a very stable machine.
08-08-2003, 04:57 AM
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Hummingbird help - Main motor cutting out.
I've had a similar problem on my hummingbird with the motor cutting out on me. It usually cut out for a fraction of second, but often it did it in quick succession 3 or 4 times, enough to cause me to land.
At first I was theorizing it could be a mechanical issue with the motor, or the gear mesh. But even with different motors and ensuring the gear lash was set properly, the motor still cut out on me frequentlly. Based on what I have seen on this forum, I felt the only other explanation was radio interference, possibly due to the antenna touching carbon.
This explanation seems to have been confirmed for me because several days ago I had a hard landing which caused a boom strike, which in turn sliced about 5 inches off my antenna. I decided to keep it that short because with it shorter I could tie it to the horizontal tail fin without it touching any carbon. And wouldnt you know it, I havent experienced the motor cutting out on me like I did before. In about 2 hours of flight since then, I remember one very short glitch with the motor, thats it. So I am fairly confident I got the glithing motor issue resolved (knock on wood).
At first I was theorizing it could be a mechanical issue with the motor, or the gear mesh. But even with different motors and ensuring the gear lash was set properly, the motor still cut out on me frequentlly. Based on what I have seen on this forum, I felt the only other explanation was radio interference, possibly due to the antenna touching carbon.
This explanation seems to have been confirmed for me because several days ago I had a hard landing which caused a boom strike, which in turn sliced about 5 inches off my antenna. I decided to keep it that short because with it shorter I could tie it to the horizontal tail fin without it touching any carbon. And wouldnt you know it, I havent experienced the motor cutting out on me like I did before. In about 2 hours of flight since then, I remember one very short glitch with the motor, thats it. So I am fairly confident I got the glithing motor issue resolved (knock on wood).
08-08-2003, 05:05 AM
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Hummingbird help - Main motor cutting out.
I've had a similar problem on my hummingbird with the motor cutting out on me. It usually cut out for a fraction of second, but often it did it in quick succession 3 or 4 times, enough to cause me to land.
At first I was theorizing it could be a mechanical issue with the motor, or the gear mesh. But even with different motors and ensuring the gear lash was set properly, the motor still cut out on me frequentlly. Based on what I have seen on this forum, I felt the only other explanation was radio interference, possibly due to the antenna touching carbon.
This explanation seems to have been confirmed for me because several days ago I had a hard landing which caused a boom strike, which in turn sliced about 5 inches off my antenna. I decided to keep it that short because with it shorter I could tie it to the horizontal tail fin without it touching any carbon. And wouldnt you know it, I havent experienced the motor cutting out on me like I did before. In about 2 hours of flight since then, I remember one very short glitch with the motor, thats it. So I am fairly confident I got the glithing motor issue resolved (knock on wood).
At first I was theorizing it could be a mechanical issue with the motor, or the gear mesh. But even with different motors and ensuring the gear lash was set properly, the motor still cut out on me frequentlly. Based on what I have seen on this forum, I felt the only other explanation was radio interference, possibly due to the antenna touching carbon.
This explanation seems to have been confirmed for me because several days ago I had a hard landing which caused a boom strike, which in turn sliced about 5 inches off my antenna. I decided to keep it that short because with it shorter I could tie it to the horizontal tail fin without it touching any carbon. And wouldnt you know it, I havent experienced the motor cutting out on me like I did before. In about 2 hours of flight since then, I remember one very short glitch with the motor, thats it. So I am fairly confident I got the glithing motor issue resolved (knock on wood).
08-08-2003, 10:03 PM
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Hummingbird help - Main motor cutting out.
Thanks for the ideas. I checked the pinion and it was a little tight up against the main gear, so I loosened it up a little. I re-routed the antenna as well, but I am still having problems. the motor will stay running at half throttle, and then cut out as soon as I give it more. Any more idea 
08-10-2003, 02:55 AM
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Hummingbird help - Main motor cutting out.
What ESC are you using? If the motor cuts out, and does not restart until you throttle down, it sounds like the low voltage cutout on the ESC is being triggered. If the ESC has adjustable cutout, it may be set too high. Also, what brand of LiPoly are you using? If they are not a high discharge type like the Etec, they may not be able to supply enough current. Also, check that your batteries are being fully charged.
Jeff
Jeff
08-10-2003, 03:01 AM
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Hummingbird help - Main motor cutting out.
I think you are right about the ESC. I was using a 20 amp Castle creations ESC. The frustration level drove me to go down and spend the $40 bucks for the Humming board today. I actually have it working decently now. I am having gyro issue, but I think I'm getting close to working that one out. Thanks for the help.
